Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets kicks off with one of the best starts to any sci-fi movie ever. Set to David Bowie’s “Major Tom”, it feels entirely plausible this is how human-kind’s future amongst the stars and space travel could start. First, the Americans link up with the Soviets in 1975 in the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. Then, Asian, Arab, and African astronauts arrive on board, each contributing a bit more to the expanding International Space Station. Finally, extra-terrestrials show up. The first of them resemble humans and by the time the film jumps all the way to the 28th century, the truly fantastic beasts add their portions to the space station which is now one of the largest colonies in the galaxy, nicknamed Alpha Station.

Writer/director Luc Besson doesn’t show off the most intricate look of the station’s exterior, but the scale feels gargantuan. If Besson started the movie already in the 2700s without the prologue, it would feel beyond fantastical. However, by linking it to our current understanding of space and the man-made objects already in orbit up there, the ensuing space battles, out of this world creatures, and everything in between feels credible. The last time I had this much fun in a movie may have been the first Guardians of the Galaxy. Valerian isn’t as much of a comedy as that Marvel spin-off, but it is the epitome of a summertime blockbuster. It reeled me in hook, line, and sinker as I watched two space agents uncover a mystery, save a species, and playfully flirt with one another at the same time. Call me a sucker or what have you, but Besson’s comic book adaptation is the best film he has pulled off since The Fifth Element (1997).

Valerian has a distinct Fifth Element vibe running through it but the creatures and the scale of the galaxy lend more of a Star Wars comparison. I bet Besson had Jabba the Hutt’s palace in mind on more than a few occasions. Valerian is also a welcome return for Besson. Since The Professional (1994) and The Fifth Element, his track record is rather atrocious. The Family (2013) was perhaps his low-point as a director and as a writer, From Paris with Love (2010), Lockout(2012), Brick Mansions (2014), and Taken 2 and 3 are all best forgotten. However, a quality film washes away earlier cinematic sins. Besson grew up with the Valerian comic books, but when he became a filmmaker, he prudently avoided mining the series for a script because he recognized the technology was not yet available to make Valerian as convincing as it should be.

James Cameron’s Avatar (2009) changed his mind. Besson made the right choice. Valerian’s concept is leading-edge and presents such an original visual palette, there is no way Besson could have done it justice even 10 years ago, let alone back in the ‘90s. While Valerian looks fantastic, it is only because of its leading duo that I sing its praises. Major Valerian (Dane DeHaan, A Cure for Wellness) and Sergeant Laureline (Cara Delevingne, Suicide Squad) are partners in what must be the 28th century version of the FBI. They have their own spaceship, receive orders from the top of the command chain, and swagger through their assignments with some of the most cocksure confidence this side of Han Solo. There is no mission neither of them believe they cannot accomplish; although, Laureline comes off a bit more modest than the in-your-face Valerian. In a quirky casting move, Besson cast jazz legend Herbie Hancock (Miles Ahead) as the Minster handing out orders.

I have never read the source material; therefore, I do not know if Valerian and Laureline have always had this ‘will they or won’t they’ narrative tease. Valerian’s urge to declare his romantic feelings for Laureline frequently distracts him from the mission and even puts his life in danger more often than it should. Laureline takes it all in stride countering his earnest proposals with Valerian’s long list of conquests and has no intention of adding herself to the tally. Yet, just as Romeo forgot all about Rosaline the moment he saw Juliet, Valerian’s past is just the meandering way he took to get to Laureline. At least, that’s how he softens the awkwardness.

The mission the two are on shuttling them from the aptly named Big Market, a bazaar located in an alternate dimension with over a million stores, back to Alpha Station is a whodunnit mystery. Besson throws in an early aside of an Eden-like beach planet showing the annihilation of a species when a space war being fought overhead crash lands on their planet. This is the mystery which pops in and out of the plot as necessary. Valerian and Laureline stumble onto the Case of the Curious Planet and who or what used to live there on accident, but find plenty of other amusements to occupy our time. The most memorable of the extraneous additions is Rihanna (This Is the End).

Rihanna is Bubble the glampod. Glampods can shape shift into anyone. During an enjoyable song and dance routine, Bubble displays dozens of personas and costumes revealing herself as a prostitute offering her client menu choices. Ethan Hawke (The Magnificent Seven) pops up as Bubbles’s owner/pimp, Jolly. None of this aside, Bubble or Jolly, is actually necessary to the plot, but Besson is having too much fun with all the visual effects toys. Why be annoyed at the results, even if it is all based on the flimsiest of premises? Rihanna is a marvel pulling off a performance making us forget the rest of the film for five to ten minutes, but Valerian’s breakout star is Cara Delevingne.

A model by trade, the film world noticed Delevingne in the teenage-oriented Paper Towns (2015) and as the unfortunate Enchantress in Suicide Squad (2016). Delevingne grasps an imposing opportunity with a character to sink her teeth into making up for what was a terrible Suicide Squad character and a performance best overlooked. DeHaan was a risky choice for Besson, because while this kid has proven his dramatic chops in Chronicle and A Cure for Wellness, nothing screams superhero/action star. DeHaan does not disappoint, but nobody will be looking at him even though his name is the movie’s title. Valerian belongs to Delevingne and Luc Besson’s vivid imagination. If Valerian becomes a franchise, fingers crossed its sequels are as fresh and original as the first one.